Will Pipes Freeze in McCone County, MT? 99 nights a Year
Freeze nights in McCone County
In a normal year McCone County, MT gets 99 nights at or below 20°F, the point where bare pipes in a garage, attic or outside wall start to freeze. That is more than 91% of US counties.
Risk level: Severe. The risk season runs October to April, worst in January.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 183 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 99 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 56 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 31 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 99 nights of risk to 56 nights. A 12 ft heat-tape kit runs $17 to $37; an average burst-pipe repair is about $500.
Month by month
Nights at or below 20°F in a normal year.
First 32°F night is usually around 09/22, last around 05/17. For 20°F: 10/21 to 04/14.
How cold McCone County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 9°F; the coldest month, January, averages 7°F overnight. 9 months normally bring at least one night below 32°F (Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec). Nights below 10°F, cold enough to freeze insulated pipe in an unheated space, come in January, February, March, April, October, November, December: 56 nights a year, and 31 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7°F | 11°F | 21°F | 31°F | 41°F | 51°F | 56°F | 55°F | 45°F | 33°F | 20°F | 10°F |
McCone County next to its neighbours
Richland County, MT, 91 km east, gets 102 nights below 20°F to McCone County's 99 nights. Dawson County, MT, 76 km southeast, gets 94 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| McCone County, MT | - | 183 nights | 99 nights | 7°F |
| Dawson County, MT | 76 km southeast | 175 nights | 94 nights | 8°F |
| Richland County, MT | 91 km east | 181 nights | 102 nights | 5°F |
| Roosevelt County, MT | 92 km northeast | 203 nights | 128 nights | 1°F |
| Prairie County, MT | 93 km south | 188 nights | 105 nights | 6°F |
| Garfield County, MT | 101 km southwest | 192 nights | 102 nights | 5°F |
| Valley County, MT | 105 km northwest | 179 nights | 104 nights | 5°F |
McCone County within MT
McCone County ranks 23 of 56 MT counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Sheridan County, MT at 129 nights, with a 2°F average winter low. The fewest is Lake County, MT: 40 nights, winter lows near 22°F. At 2,664 ft, McCone County sits 1,258 ft below the state's median county elevation of 3,922 ft.
What to do here
- Treat it as a building fix, not a night-of routine: insulate, heat tape, seal crawlspace vents.
- An automatic leak shutoff pays for itself if one burst is avoided.
- Know where the main shutoff is before the first hard freeze.
At this many nights, foam alone is not the answer: insulate or heat tape?.
Where this comes from
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals, blended from 3 nearby stations and adjusted for elevation; closest is Circle, MT, 27 km away (fair match). A normal year, not tonight's forecast: check the forecast low for the night itself. What a "fair" or "distant" station match means is in the method guide.